A Controlled Experiment to Investigate the Effect of `Process Patterns´ on the Quality of Requirement Analysis

This paper presents a controlled experiment specifically designed to investigate the influence of ´process patterns´ on the requirement analysis phase of software development projects. To differentiate, the experimental groups were given a set of process patterns to use in their software development projects, while the controlled groups employed non-pattern solutions. A goal-oriented measurement process, involving a number of metrics, was designed through which measurements of software quality attributes were taken during the life of the projects. The measurements taken, as well as an assessment of the completed project reports, were evaluated and statistically analyzed to investigate the effect of process patterns on the quality of the software projects. The results indicate that the use of process patterns in the management of software development projects improves the quality of the requirement analysis phase in terms of both process and product.